Relaunched We Work For Health website reveals biopharmaceutical industry’s economic and community impact

A new website collates data on the industry’s economic and community impact, as well as its contribution to medical science.

The new-look We Work for Health (WWFH) website was launched by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation (PhRMA) this March.

“In addition to working to improve health and economic viability, many biopharmaceutical companies provide philanthropic outreach in local communities through grants and programs supporting access to affordable health coverage and medicine, primary and secondary education, social services, arts and other community needs,” says a statement on the site.

Visitors to www.weworkforhealth.org can view an impact map, which displays the biopharmaceutical industry’s economic impact and clinical trial data.

This is measured not only by the traditional indicators of employment and output, but also by the industry’s impact on the vendors that provide services or supplies to America’s biopharmaceutical research companies.

The data show that 802,867 American jobs are supported by the pharmaceutical industry. Across the U.S., it shows, the industry undertook or supported 6,199 clinical trials in 2015.

Interactive elements of the impact map allow the data to be segmented by region, highlighting the level of industry spending and economic impact in separate states.

In Illinois, for example, where Astellas U.S. is headquartered, 44,819 jobs are directly, and 325,999 indirectly, supported by the industry. A total of $249.5m was invested in 1,701 clinical trials which included 29,294 people and had a total economic impact of $678.4m.

WWFH has established coalitions of patient advocates, economic development organizations, bioscience companies and trade associations in 14 states. Details of the work and impact of each of these are available on the site, which also showcases the 2017 WWFH employee champions. These are people who have gone above and beyond their job description to advocate for the biopharmaceutical industry. Among the latest winners are Keya Pitts, Executive Director of Pharmacovigilance and Clinical Quality Assurance at Astellas Pharma US.

Industry issues are discussed in-depth by experts on the “Issue Lab” page of the new website. These ‘hot topics’ include the importation of medications and the success of Medicare Part D, the Government program that provides older people and those with disabilities to access affordable prescription drug coverage.

Issues such as the value of medication, biologics and intellectual property, and clinical trials are also discussed in detail.

The website also shares patient stories. Michelle Orive, a transplant recipient and President of the Rush to Live advocacy organization, explains how she relies on medicines from the biopharmaceutical industry to keep her alive in a poignant video on the website.

“The transplant saved me and I am forever grateful to my donor. But my anti-rejection medicine… those medications keep me alive and I thank God for the billions of dollars that is spent to develop these medications because I really understand the science and the math behind it and how hard it is to get these things to come to term.”

Visit the website to find out more and discover the impact industry has had in your state.

Astellas Patient Advocacy is a function within Corporate Affairs at Astellas that focuses on creating, building and maintaining third-party relationships. We serve as a conduit between Astellas and external stakeholders to help improve patient outcomes, improve access issues and address patients’ unmet needs head on.